


Playtime

by PetrichorPerfume



Series: Shenanigans [85]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Gen, Happy Ending, Little Gabriel, Little Lucifer, Little Michael, Non-Sexual Age Play, time outs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-22
Updated: 2014-09-22
Packaged: 2018-02-18 11:07:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2346224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PetrichorPerfume/pseuds/PetrichorPerfume
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Michael and Lucifer are naughty during playtime and get sent into time-out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Playtime

**Author's Note:**

> For reference, the dinosaur Michael is talking about looks like this: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ox4tac5phAY/T1gSqL403jI/AAAAAAAABmg/MwGL-MF-be4/s640/Squier_GIGANTORAPTOR.jpg
> 
> She's a thing of beauty, isn't she?

One of Dean’s favorite things about watching the angels play is Michael’s creativity. Sammy had had a clever little mind when he’d been growing up too, but the popsicle-stick time machine piloted by a microscopic gigantoraptor being possessed by an angel is something that is very uniquely _Michael._ (The story that Lucifer’s telling as he chases Michael’s time machine across “the wastes of outer space” is also rather impressive, but he’s already done the math and Lucifer’s competitive streak combined with the floppiness of the turtle isn’t likely to result in a balanced, happy equation.)

 

Then Michael’s time machine takes a crash landing into the tower Gabriel had been building. The youngest archangel starts to pout and Dean says a silent ‘thank you’ that there aren’t any tears. “Mika, you need to be more careful,” Dean chastises as gently as he can. The crash hadn’t looked like an accident, but he’s willing to give Mika the benefit of the doubt if only because a gentle admonishment is all the archangel generally requires in order to behave.

 

He should know better by now, though, because Michael is playing with Lucifer and that tends to bring out the worst in him no matter what. The time machine crashes again not ten minutes later, promptly followed by the turtle. Gabriel’s lip starts to quiver and he’s about to scold both Michael and Lucifer, but Cas beats him too it. “Both of you, play nice,” the youngest angel orders. “If you knock over his tower again, you’re both going into time-out.”

 

Gabriel sniffs and Sam sinks down on the floor beside him. “Come here, Gabe. We can rebuild your tower together, okay? You’re a much better tower maker than I am, but I can be your helper. How does that sound?”

 

Gabe clamors into Sam’s lap and informs him that tower builders are called ‘architects’ and that he prefers the word ‘assistant’ before handing Sam a handful of building blocks and telling him to start on the foundation.

 

Fifteen minutes pass without incident. Gabriel is nearly done with his tower, and Dean has to admit that it’s pretty impressive. Then again, he shouldn’t be surprised; Gabriel can create entire worlds with his mind. The peace doesn’t last long, though, because just as Sam and Gabe are about to place the final piece on the apex of the tower, the time machine, the turtle, and a shark toy crash into the structure.

 

Gabriel wails and Adam rises and gently but firmly pulls Michael and Lucifer away. “I want you both to go stand in the corner and think about why it’s important to respect each other’s toys,” he instructs. At Michael’s stricken look, his face softens slightly. “Three minutes,” he adds, setting the timer on his phone and showing it to each of the angels in turn. “Go on.”

 

Michael and Lucifer trudge into the corner, and Dean feels his heart break just a little at the way Michael wraps his arms around himself. He hates punishing Michael when he’s little, even if it is in the form of a short time-out. Poor Mika can’t deal with being alone even when he’s big, and he knows how difficult it is for him to handle being isolated from his caregivers for any amount of time. They still needed a way to discipline him, though, because even the most obedient of children misbehaved occasionally. They’d tried scolding but Michael had reacted horribly and Dean had sworn to himself never to use it again even before Mika made him promise not to.

 

Sam manages to calm Gabriel down and Dean breaths a sigh of relief. It hurts him to see any of them cry, for any reason.

 

From the corner, Mika starts to sniffle. Lucifer’s hand finds Michael’s and he intertwines their fingers, and Dean can’t help but smile at the gesture. Michael starts to shake and Lucifer shuffles closer to him until they’re pressed together. Dean can’t find it in him to tell Luka not to comfort his brother, and neither can Adam or Cas.

 

After a few more moments, Adam’s phone beeps and Cas goes to retrieve his brothers. Michael starts to cry the moment Cas tucks under one arm. “Shh, shh, shh, Mika, it’s okay,” Cas soothes.

 

“I’m sorry,” Michael sobs. “I’m sorry. Please don’t be mad at me.” He lets himself be handed to Dean and curls into a tiny ball on his lap. “I’m sorry.”

 

“You need to apologize to Gabe, not us,” Dean says.

 

“’m sorry, Gabie,” Mika sniffles.

 

“I’m sorry too,” Lucifer adds. “We didn’t mean to destroy your tower.”

 

“It’s okay,” Gabriel assures them with a still slightly watery smile. “I forgive you.”

 

Michael turns into Dean and whimpers. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he whispers.

 

“It’s okay, sweetheart,” Dean soothes as he cards his fingers through Michael’s hair. “You did something naughty, and you had a time-out and you apologized, and now you’re forgiven.”

 

Michael whines low in his throat. “D-do you and C-Cas s-still l-love me?”

 

Dean is about to answer that _of course_ they still love him, but Cas beats him to it. “Michael, there is nothing – _nothing_ – you can do that would make any of us stop loving you.”

 

Michael nods solemnly, but Dean can tell that he isn’t convinced. “It’s alright, Mika. You’re gonna stay here and cuddle with me n’ Cas until you understand how much we love you, and then you can go back to playing with your brothers.”

 

Michael gives one last teary sniffle and settles down. A moment later, two different archangels plop themselves down beside him. Lucifer pulls Michael half-way into his lap and Gabriel’s fingers curl around Michael’s.

 

“Mine,” they both say towards Dean.

 

“Ours,” Dean corrects. “He’s ours, and do you know why that is?”

 

Lucifer and Gabriel grin. “Because we love him.”

 

“You hear that, Mike?” Adam asks. “We love you.”

 

***

 

Later:

 

 

Gabriel sees it coming a mile away and he can’t help but feel a little shudder of dread. He knows that Michael is going to want to talk – talk, and apologize, and then talk some more, and then apologize some more, and then ‘hug it out’ – and while Michael has reached the point of being able to talk about being little with someone other than his caregivers, he hasn’t. He can barely talk to _Sam_ about it, and now Michael is going to want to talk – at length, no less – about something that had happened in his little mindset.

 

He almost tells Michael that he doesn’t want to talk about it, but he knows that Michael can be fragile for hours after he transitions sometimes and he figures that a little discomfort is a thousand times better than seeing his brother cry again.

 

“I’m sorry,” Michael says after a while of standing in the doorway fidgeting and fiddling with his sleeves. “About earlier.”

 

“It’s okay. Really.”

 

Michael makes a pained noise. “It’s not, though. I was... Selfish, and-”

 

“We all have the right to be selfish every once in a while, Mike. And if anyone’s earned that right, it’s you,” Gabriel interrupts, because it’s bad enough that Michael is talking about this; he isn’t going to let his brother upset himself on top of it.

 

“So you’re not still mad?” Michael asks.

 

“Never was,” Gabriel answers. “’specially not after you gave me your time machine to make up for it.”

 

Michael beams. “Hug?”

 

Gabriel rolls his eyes and lets Michael wrap his arms around him. After a moment, he pulls away. “A gigantoraptor, though?”

 

“They were fierce and majestic creatures,” Michael protests.

 

“Uh-huh.”

 

“They were!”

 

“Mmm-hmm.”

 

“Gabe, they were works of art!”

 

“Suuuure they were.” He takes Michael’s hand and smiles. “Come on, wanna go make the Tower of Pisa lean a few more degrees?”

 

Michael laughs. “You’re incorrigible.”

 

“I love you, too.”

 

“I love you more.”


End file.
